Rafael Alberti

RAFAEL ALBERTI (El Puerto de Santa María, Cádiz, 1902 - 1999).
"Bands and 48 Stars. Poems of the Caribbean Sea", 1st Edition, 1936.
Publisher: Manuel Altoaguirre, Madrid.
With a double dedication by the author "To Angel Anfier with an embrace full of memories of Havana. Rafael Alberti. Madrid, 1936."
"Dear Angel: do me the favor of giving that other copy to Marinello. Thank you and best regards. R.A."
Paperback binding with dust jacket printed in 2 inks.
It presents faults and restorations.
Measurements: 24.5 x 19 x 1 cm.
Rafael Alberti published 13 bands and 48 stars. Poemas del Mar Caribe in 1936, in an edition edited by Manuel Altolaguirre, in Madrid. The work belongs to a decisive stage in the author's career, marked by a growing political and social commitment that profoundly influenced his literary creation. However, beyond its ideological dimension, the book stands out for its imaginative richness, expressive force and Alberti's extraordinary poetic ability to transform the experience of travel into literary material.
The genesis of this work dates back to 1934, when the poet was returning from a trip to the then Soviet Union. After passing through Athens and Paris, in March 1935 he embarked on a transatlantic voyage that took him from Europe to the United States, Mexico, Panama, Cuba and several Caribbean islands. The direct contact with those lands, their landscapes, cultures and social realities provided the material that would give shape to this extensive poem, conceived by Alberti himself as the first great anti-imperialist poem written in Spanish.
Through vibrant and visually powerful writing, 13 bands and 48 stars offers a critical look at the political and economic influence of the United States in the Caribbean region, contrasting the human and natural wealth of these peoples with the dynamics of domination that the author perceived in them. Nevertheless, the work transcends mere political discourse thanks to the lyrical intensity of its images, the musicality of its verses and the sensitivity with which it portrays the sea, the cities, the inhabitants and the traditions of the Caribbean.
Considered one of the most representative books of Alberti's committed poetry, this volume is a valuable testimony of the intellectual and social concerns of the 1930s, while confirming the artistic maturity of a poet capable of uniting denunciation, emotion and literary beauty in the same work.